Bond of Three
by TyrantPotato
Summary: Over the course of the Triwizard Tournament, the champions decide to work together in order to preserve their lives. All four grasp the cup and all four go to the cemetery. Harry is killed by Voldemort, but his legacy will live on in the other three. AU. Archived. Up for adoption.
1. Prologue

This story is mostly based on a random dream I had after reading a fanfiction where Harry sacrifices himself to save Gabrielle Delacour during the 2nd task. I do not own Harry Potter. Edited on 12/11/2014 because I wrote this has asleep.

* * *

**Prologue**

While it was mostly to relax, watching Harry inspired him to practice his flying skills. Pulling out of a skillful dive, Cedric noticed a scrawny bespectacled boy watching in the stands. Flying over immediately, he sat down beside Harry with a grin.

"Scoping out the competition Potter?"

Harry gave a small smile and they chatted about the first task. After promising to repay the warning about the dragons, Cedric decided to get to the point.

"While this is fun, I'm sure you aren't here for idle chit chat Potter."

Harry sighed. "Cedric, I think we should work together in the tournament."

The competitive side of Cedric wanted to refuse but the debt made him listen to Harry's words.

"I've been thinking… wasn't that task a little too… well… dangerous?"

Dragons were indeed incredibly dangerous creatures. While death was known to be a part of the Triwizard tournament, that was over 200 years ago and from the records, the tasks then were only half as dangerous. It was a miracle all of them got out. But they were guaranteed safety, were they not?

"I mean, you and Fleur got burned," Harry continued. "Krum almost got squashed and I got a pretty nasty cut. And not to be rude, but how would you have done if I hadn't warned you?"

_I would have failed or died._ He thought. It was pure luck that the dragon stayed focused on his transfiguration long enough. And even then he got partially burned.

"We need to work together. If there are more dangers ahead, facing them would be easier. I didn't even want to be in this tournament." Harry said looking into his eyes. "I don't want the gold or the cup. I would drop out if I could, but I can't. I don't know how you feel, but now, I just want to live."

* * *

After a lot of thought, Cedric realized that Harry was right, living was now the number one priority for the two Hogwarts Champions. Now that he actually thought about it, he realized the four champions were in a game designed for the sole purpose of school pride and entertainment. A game that could have very well killed them and still could. Harry and he started to spend more time together training and studying. They managed to solve the mystery of the golden egg within a week together, and had brainstormed for ideas. Cedric wanted to use the Bubble-Head charm, but Harry brought forth the idea of Gillyweed. In addition to providing a means to breathe underwater, it allowed for faster swimming as well. After speaking to Professor Sprout, she agreed to give them Gillyweed in exchange for a few nights helping her in the greenhouses. All they could do now was wait.

The Yule Ball came and went. He could tell Harry was slightly jealous of him for asking out Cho, the boy's crush was pretty obvious. Call it shallow, but he too asked Cho out due to her beauty. As they walked the gardens, he realized that perhaps something could work between the two as he chatted with the attractive girl. Admittedly, he felt a little sorry when he saw Harry's date going badly.

The morning of the task, Harry was in front of the Hufflepuff dormitories with a frantic look on his face.

"Ron is gone. They were talking about people as the precious thing." Harry said in a panicked voice. It took some time to calm him down, but Cedric too started to panic when it was discovered Cho was missing as well.

* * *

"May I join you?"

Harry and Cedric looked up in confusion from their homework as Fleur sat down beside them.

"It is obvious now zat you two are working together. May I perhaps join your alliance?"

The second task had gone spectacularly for the two Hogwarts champions. With the Gillyweed, Cedric and Harry had reached the hostages first and freed theirs. But the two agreed to wait for all the hostages to be freed, and when Fleur didn't come, they decided to take the girl as well. After fleeing from the merpeople, the champions emerged on shore within the time limit. They were quickly met with a sobbing Veela girl.

"I owe you two my life" Fleur had said, kissing their cheeks.

After the task, the reactions to their tag team were varied. The Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students cried conspiracy. The Hogwarts champions would ensure that the cup went to their school and Hogwarts was cheating by having two competitors. The Hogwart student's reactions were varied. While some welcomed the alliance, others were suspicious that one was using the other to get a free ride. Most of that ire was directed at Harry. Cedric had to make a public statement during lunch one day exactly where they stood and why. Regardless, the team up, while only a rumor before, was now the talk of the castle.

Harry and Cedric continued on ignoring the gossip. And now here was another champion offering her talents. After a couple hours of discussion, they realized that Fleur was not trying to take advantage of them, and that she was also growing weary of the tournament. Veela were creatures of air and fire, not suited at all for underwater tasks. Her magic was weakened, and there was a very real chance of her dying in the lake. Only the thoughts of her sister made her brave the depths.

"This blood game is disgusting" Fleur had sniffed. "I can see now why you two are working together. Let me help. I too wish to live."

The three champions realized their views were aligned, this tournament was not something to compete in. It was something to survive.

* * *

It started as the hot topic of the castle, and soon found its way into the paper. The four Triwizard champions seemed to be working together. There were many instances where they were seen sharing meals, studying in the library, flying over the quidditch pitch, and practicing spells in empty classrooms. The students were somewhat outraged, wanting their champions to bring glory to their school instead of helping their adversaries. But despite urging from friends, teachers, and even the heads of the schools, the four were resolute.

Krum was recruited by Cedric a week after Fleur joined them. He too expressed his doubts over the dangers of the tournament, with the kidnapping of Hermione unnerving him. Fleur and Harry accepted and the group of three became four. It was awkward at first. Harry, the Boy Who Lived, was younger then the others by about three years. Krum was from Bulgaria and a world famous Quidditch star. Fleur was not only the single girl, but she was also French and a Veela. Despite being considered pretty normal, Cedric felt completely out of place between the three. But after the meals, the late nights of training, and the hours spent together, a strange bond began to form.

Harry broke the ice when he eventually told of his escapades in his past years. The other three felt their respect for the young boy increase as he spoke of killing a Basilisk. Instead of the confident, perhaps arrogant fame seeker the newspapers painted, they found an insecure boy, who detested his fame and loathed the tournament. He spoke of his surprise entry, how it had strained some of his relationships, and stated quite clearly that he did not want to be in the tournament. Krum also spoke of how his fame clouded others view of him. He loved to study, was polite, and was quite shy. Many members of his family were killed by dark wizards and he expressed his anger at the dark history of his school and the students that wanted to continue it. Fleur was lusted after by almost every male in the castle who only saw her for her beauty. As a result, many girls, while flocking to her, secretly detested her and she was frequently bullied as a child. Her heritage as well drew the ire of Pure Blood bigots. Cedric almost felt normal in comparison, except his fame too was starting to impact his circle of friends. A kinship slowly formed, they were not exactly the best of friends yet, but they found a common ground.

Soon the third task was at hand. The four agreed to meet at the first intersection and they quickly found that after their training, nothing could stand in their way. After battling an assortment of magical creatures, navigating strange mists, and defeating a massive spider, the cup was in reach. The four agreed to grasp it simultaneously, a sign of unity and one of defiance towards those who would use their lives for this pointless tournament. When all four champions vanished along with the cup, mayhem ensued.

* * *

The other three champions could only watch in horror as the man collected the blood from Harry. They could only watch in shock as the man known as Lord Voldemort emerged, returned from the dead. And then they watched as he summoned his servants and began to explain how he returned. But when he began to duel and torture Harry, they suddenly found their voices.

"Leave him alone you monster!" Fleur yelled. The death eaters turned to the three and Lord Voldemort gazed upon them disdainfully.

"A filthy halfbreed, and two blood traitors. Know that only by my will alone are you alive. But there shall be no mercy for you tonight. You shall be used as... tests. Tests of loyalty for some of my Death Eaters. But that will come soon. After this duel."

It was insanity. The Dark Lord versus the Boy Who Lived. The boy who was the youngest of them all and the least experienced. The champions had found themselves looking after Harry, almost like a precious underclassman or a little brother. They defended him from those who would slander him and provoke him. The champions had to admit, Harry was brave and quite competent with his problems at school. But this was an entirely different scenario and they started to despair as he was toyed around with. Cedric and Krum had started to yell once again, shouting for Voldemort to free them so they could help while Fleur could only sob as Harry writhed on the ground from another Crucio. Then the death spell was evoked and they thought it was all over.

But a golden dome encompassed the duelists. All fears faded away for a moment as they watched in awe and listened to the phoenix song. Shades emerged from Voldemort's wand and appeared to be speaking to Harry. The other champions were forgotten as the Death Eaters flocked to the dome. And then, just as it had appeared, the light was gone and suddenly Harry was by them, cutting their ropes with a spell.

"Portkey" Harry huffed. "Escape. Live."

The four champions started to run while throwing spells over their shoulders. The screams of Voldemort rang over the chaos.

"THE BOY IS MINE. KILL THE SPARES."

Streaks of green illuminated the cemetery as the death eaters aimed to kill. However, the spells from the champions threw them back and they were almost to the cup. But Lord Voldemort appeared in a flash between them and their salvation.

"AVADA KEDAVRA" he screamed, and a green bolt flew towards Harry. The boy froze upon seeing the pitiless red eyes and didn't register the frantic cries. In reality though, there was nothing he could do. His life flashed before his eyes and the world seemed to be moving in slow motion. But before he died, one last thought crossed his mind. He prayed with all his heart that his friends would manage to escape. Then the Boy Who Lived dropped to the ground lifeless.

Fleur fell to her knees. Krum started to walk slowly towards the body in shock. Cedric could only stare. This was their fate. The three of them would soon join him, the first victims of the revived dark lord. They ignored the strange sensation in their heads as Voldemort sang his victory to the heavens. They didn't move as the Death Eaters surrounded them. They kneeled, dazed as he brought forth suspect Death Eaters and ordered them to kill. As three simultaneous killing curses streaked towards them, there was a flash of light. The three found themselves staring at a ghostly Harry holding the Triwizard Cup. There was chaos once again as Voldemort was screaming but none of the curses reached them. The champions ignored the splitting pain in their heads and were once again speechless as Harry held out the cup.

"Live."

Wordlessly, the three reached out and in a blur, found themselves once again on the Quidditch field. There was an immediate uproar as the pain overwhelmed the champions. They fell to the ground unconscious as figures swarmed towards them.


	2. Chapter 1: Explanations

The prologue and this chapter will mostly be set up and explanations. The next chapter will be what happens until the summer. It will mostly be reactions, set up, etc. The three chapters after that (or more if I split it up) will be a series of snapshots of important events in the last three books as it will play out in this alternate universe. Then there will be an epilogue wrapping it all up. I do not intend for this to be a long story, it is just an idea. But if there any situations from the book you are curious about, like "what happens to Sirius?" or, "will the DA appear?", ask and I can see if I can fit it in. It's been a while since I read the books, so I am mostly working on memory and the Harry Potter wiki. There could be some important situations and plot points I miss so don't hesitate to ask! Also I could use a beta reader.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Cedric Diggory was the first to awaken three days later. His parents immediately accosted him with hugs and kisses. There were tears, and thanks given to whatever gods out there when Cedric remembered that Harry Potter was dead. He ignored the gifts and cards piled around him and only asked if Harry made it as well, hoping that what he saw was a dream. His parents hesitated then told him no body was found, only his wand. As they explained, he was sad but an inexplicable combination of absolute sorrow and rage started bubble within him. Cedric Diggory asked for some time alone, ignoring the worried looks on his parent's faces.

Dumbledore arrived later with a grave expression on his face.

"Mr. Diggory, your parents thought it best for me to explain the full situation to you."

After they had returned to the Quidditch field, all three had fallen unconscious. Many, including Dumbledore, took the portkey to the cemetery but nothing was found except for Harry's wand.

"That is not all though, there were some very… interesting changes."

The headmasterhanded him a mirror and Cedric could only stare at and trace the lightning bolt scar upon his forehead.

"The others… them too?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

Dumbledore sighed and swept aside the dividers so that Cedric could see his fellow champions.

* * *

Fleur Delacour awoke a couple hours after Cedric. The first thing she noticed was that the world was blurry, no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes.

"I suspected as much. Perhaps these will help." A voice said, and she turned to see what seemed to be Professor Dumbledore. She put on the pair of glasses he held out and her vision returned.

"I…I never needed glasses before." She said.

"A temporary measure. They are a spare pair belonging to Mr. Potter."

Fleur inhaled sharply as she remembered what had transpired. Tears began to leak from her eyes as she sobbed. She was surprised at how sad she felt, she had not cried this much since her grandfather had died.

"Harry saved us. He saved us all." She sobbed. "And he's dead. _He_ killed him."

"I am sorry Miss Delacour." Dumbledore said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But we need to talk about what happened due to-"

"Some changes" Another voice said. She turned and momentarily forgot her sadness as she saw Cedric on the bed beside her. "There have been some changes… Fleur." He said, with some uncertainty at her name. But Fleur didn't catch it. When she saw Cedric, it was as if he were the moon and the stars. As if a veil had been lifted and she saw the light for the first time. As if he was a long lost brother, a lover, a soulmate. She didn't even notice the scar upon his forehead until he pointed to it.

"That is Harry's scar." She said after coming to her senses.

Cedric nodded and said cautiously, "Fleur… look at your hair."

Fleur grabbed her locks to glance at them as Dumbledore conjured a mirror. She was always a beautiful girl, there was no denying that. Her long silvery blonde hair, her ocean blue eyes; they attracted hundreds of boys even without her Veela charm. She was still as radiant as ever. But now her hair was black and a little messier than before. Just like Harry's hair. Her eyes were a piercing green. Just like Harry's eyes. These changes alone would have distracted many from noticing perhaps the most important change. Her body had shrunk and she looked younger. In fact, one could say she looked as if she was Harry's age. Fluer Delacour fainted less than five minutes after she awoke.

* * *

_The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with the young boy. It winked. The boy winked back. The snake jerked its head toward the fat man and his fat son, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave the boy a look that said quite plainly:_

_"I get that all the time._

_"I know," the boy murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."_

_The snake nodded vigorously._

_"Where do you come from, anyway?" the boy asked._

_The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Boa Constrictor, Brazil._

_"Was it nice there?"_

_The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"_

_As the snake shook its head, there was a deafening shout._

_"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"_

Viktor Krum awoke from a strange dream a week after the third task. Sitting up in his bed, the first thing he saw was what seemed to be a female version of Harry Potter hugging him.

"You are awake at last. We thought something was wrong."

Krum realized to his shock that the girl was in fact Fleur Delacour. But that shock faded as a warmth filled his body. Even as he remembered the events at the cemetery, he could only feel this strange euphoria. After the nurse fretted over him, Cedric Diggory came over from his bed, his new scar in plain sight. If possible, Krum felt even warmer and even more content then before. When Cedric joined the hug, Krum could honestly say he could have died and gone to heaven. The looks on the other two suggested the same.

"You haven't changed at all." Cedric said as he pulled over a mirror. "Madam Pomfrey found no physical changes."

"You said no physical." Krum said and froze at his perfect English accent. He realized that earlier, Fleur too was speaking in an English accent. After a brief silence, he continued. "There were… other changes?"

"Indeed there were." Dumbledore said as he swept into the room followed by the short Hogwarts charms professor and his deputy head. "Now that the three of you are awake, I can share with you what we have found."

Krum listened in silence along with his fellow champions. They learned that when Harry was born, he did not have green eyes. It was only after his mother had sacrificed herself that he inherited it. The sacrificial protection would always leave its mark. Looking through Cedric's and Fleur's memories, one could distinctly make out Harry's body literally disintegrating after the killing curses were fired. One way or another, Harry had sacrificed himself for them.

"But Harry was murdered." Cedric said. "We were friends but I doubt he loved us and he didn't choose to die."

Dumbledore agreed as the short professor, Professor Flitwick explained. Harry indeed did not love them deeply and he did not die willingly, the two most important requirements for the protection to activate. There should have been no protection at all given the situation, but the lingering protection on him as well as his unique circumstances may have allowed him to protect the three from death. Harry was quite the unique character. Blood protection from his mother. A connection with Voldemort. And Dumbledore even vaguely mentioned him as the "Chosen One". The situation they were in had never been seen before. No one knew exactly what caused it, they could only theorize. But Harry had somehow invoked an ancient blood magic to protect his friends from death. It was obvious what mark Harry had left on Fleur and Cedric, but for Krum it was uncertain.

"Is there anything else besides this accent?" Krum asked.

"You were actually the first to recover. Physically you were in perfect shape after only one night." Dumbledore explained. "You magic reacted very strongly to the healing spells and potions. Upon further examination, it was found that your magic core was emitting nearly twice the power for a wizard your age. Perhaps… Harry's core found its way to you?"

Krum was silent as Dumbledore held out a wand. Harry's wand. Upon grasping it, Krum felt as if a fire had ignited within him. Golden sparks flew from it as a blinding light filled the room. Upon passing it to Fleur and Cedric, similar things happened but the strongest reaction was undoubtedly with Krum. The wand seemed to pulse happily in his hands.

"Each of you three," Dumbledore finally said as the last sparks faded, "Seem to have inherited a part of Mr. Potter. In a way… you are his legacy."


End file.
